


gone

by crickets



Category: Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-05
Updated: 2012-02-05
Packaged: 2017-11-05 05:31:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/402954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crickets/pseuds/crickets





	gone

It's the way Peeta says her name that sets Gale off.

Well, _not entirely_.

First, there's the fact that Peeta even shows up at his place in District 2 to begin with, without so much as a phone call, or a standing invitation for that matter, because everybody knows that dropping-in pals is not in the cards for them. He's coming off a late shift, and Peeta's just standing there, leaning against his front door with his hands shoved deep into his pockets and a scowl set across his lips.

Gale's first instinct is to look for Katniss and he turns his head to the left, searching the yard and the side-street for any sign of her. Then, he immediately ducks, because even though the past couple of years have been quiet in Panem, Gale still knows how to handle himself in a fistfight. Lucky for him, Peeta's sorely out of practice, and he misses entirely, falling to the ground and then stumbling back up, his legs shaky beneath him.

"Are you drunk?" Gale reaches out, his hand at Peeta's shoulder, half keeping him at bay, but mostly just holding him up.

"Where is she?!" Peeta bites, but has enough sense not to swing again.

Gale lets out a slow breath. "Come inside, man," he tells him. "Let's get you sobered up."

-

Peeta doesn't talk for a long time.

Gale heats him up some leftover stew and brings him a couple of crusty rolls. He sits across from him at the table, his arms crossed, and watches as Peeta eats, sopping up the gravy with what's left of the rolls at the end, cleaning his plate. Peeta pushes the plate back, wipes his mouth with a napkin, crumples it, and deposits it on the empty plate. He picks up the full water glass in front of him and downs the entire thing.

Gale leans forward, waiting.

Peeta meets his eyes, and finally speaks. "I don't know where she is."

"I gathered that." Gale doesn't move.

Peeta's jaw sets, but he doesn't say anything.

"So why'd you come here?"

Peeta leans back, pushing his chair out from the table just a little bit. "Like you don't know, Hawthorne?"

Gale closes his eyes, and for a moment he can see Katniss crossing the meadow, her face in a bright smile, but then it fades away into darkness and he opens them. "Ancient history," he says, but it's more to himself than it is to Peeta.

"I don't believe you," Peeta crosses his arms. "I think you know where she is and you're just not telling me. Did she call you? Is she here?" Peeta glances around the room, looking toward the hallway that leads to the rest of the house, the bedrooms.

Gale stands. "Believe what you want. Are we done here?"

Peeta mirrors him, and it's clear that he's completely sobered up by now. "No," he says. "We're not." His voice is rising, and when he stands, the chair falls to the floor behind him with a loud clack. "You don't think I know how she felt about you? What you two meant to each other? You don't think I haven't lived under the shadow of the two of you all this time? The two hunters? The inseparable Gale and _Katniss_. Until I came along, of course."

"Easy." Gale rounds the table and has Peeta by the collar before he can get out another word. The intent is to shove him out the front door and slam it behind him, but Peeta wrangles free, pushing Gale back into the table, which screeches against the tiles, the dishes rattling and a fork falling to the floor.

Gale is bent over from the stumble, but he takes two quick strides and barrels right into Peeta's middle, sending them both tumbling over the downed chair. Peeta turns, scrambling out of Gale's grasp and bringing one heavy boot against Gale's jaw as he goes. He's up and ready to start down the hall, calling Katniss' name, but Gale is quicker and stronger, and before he can make any headway, he's got Peeta up against the wall, his elbow at his neck, his lips inches from his face.

"Stop," Gale growls, a smear of blood across his nose, while Peeta struggles against him. "Stop."

Peeta finally relaxes, slumping loosely against the wall, but Gale doesn't let up, just in case he isn't through.

"Look, even if she was here, _which she's not_ , what are you gonna do, huh? Drag her back home kicking and screaming? This is Katniss we're talking about, Mellark. If she's gone, she's not lost. _She left._ You have to let her go, man."

Peeta makes one final attempt to move, shifting just barely underneath Gale's weight and causing their hips meet. Peeta's hard as a rock, and Gale knows it. He searches Peeta's eyes for a moment, and then Gale crushes his lips to Peeta's. Peeta pushes back, and he lets him. Their legs are a tangle, and the loss of leverage causes Gale to fall to the floor, Peeta on top of him.

The truth is, somewhere in the back of his mind, Gale always knew it would come to this: The baker and the hunter, rolling around on the floor like two lions fighting over the same piece of meat. _Except, Katniss isn't here_ , as much as he might wish she was, and when Peeta Mellark reaches for his belt and tugs his pants over his hips, Gale doesn't bother closing his eyes. He watches the other man take him in his hands, and he juts his hips out, a gasp at the back of his throat.

Peeta won't look at him, and Gale really doesn't give a shit. He shoves his hands down the front of Peeta's boxers, and grips his cock hard. Peeta lets out a grunt, his nails digging into Gale's hips, his head lowered enough so that Gale can't see his face. It's another minute, and Gale's got his hand wrapped around Peeta's neck, and Peeta's taking Gale into his mouth.

He could close his eyes now, pretend he's somewhere else, with _someone_ else. But the truth is, the thought that it's Peeta Mellark swirling his tongue around the tip of his cock makes him even harder than he already is. He swallows words, instead choosing to communicate in grunts. It's only when he comes, his hips bucking, his fingers in Peeta's hair, that he calls out Peeta's name.

_-fin_


End file.
